The Accent is on the Friends

Monica Schmidt at the podium for Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Five. Photo by Marcy Mahle. 

Nothing energizes those strange people known as Sherlockians more than a good symposium. And such an event happened last weekend in Dayton.

Don’t take my word for it. As program chairman, I am somewhat biased.

Rob Nunn wrote a thorough and admittedly more objective account of Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Five on his blog, “Interesting Though Elementary.” This was the first conference for Rob, author of The Criminal Mastermind of Baker Street. His enthusiasm for the event shines through every paragraph of his post.

Rob concludes the post by saying “the more and more I go to events, the more I know that Sherlockiana isn’t just about the stories, it’s about the people you engage with. And these are some good people.”

So true! (Hence the title of this post.) And yet, Sherlockiana is also about our shared passion and the endless ways of approaching it. Despite all the books I’ve read and conferences I’ve attended over the past 50 years, each of the eight talks at Holmes, Doyle, & Friends Five offered me something new.

Veteran Sherlockian Brad Kefauver also offered a positive and insightful overview of his day in Dayton on his "Sherlock Peoria" blog. 

The conference has its roots in the nationally known Holmes/Doyle Symposium that began in 1981 under the leadership of the late Dr. Al Rodin. The Agra Treasurers, the Dayton-based scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars, has been putting on the symposium under the new name since 2014. This year’s attendance was the highest in that time, with 52 registrants. Our goal is to become a “must go” annual event for veteran Sherlockians and newcomers alike.

Planning for next year is underway. I’ll keep you posted.